Sorry, I am totally confused with the Fosters myself and getting close to giving up on them!
Basically George Foster b 1799 Audlem who married Ann Cadman is the wrong George - shame because he fitted as did the children.
My George Foster (God bless him!) was also born in 1840. His military record states he was born in Congleton, Cheshire. One of the census - 1901 I think - says he was born in Astbury, Congleton, Cheshire. I have never found him either on the Bishops Transcripts, Parish Records (on line both), the Mormon discs etc. I have him on the 1861 - 1901 census. He never varied with his age. I have his wedding cert where he said his father's name was William and that he was an "engineer". He married Mary Ann Rowland b 1848 Cape of Good Hope, SA (her father was in the army - 78th Essex Foot).
In 1860 George signed on at Newcastle under Lyne recruitment office to join the Royal Marine Light Infantry. He remained in service until 1881 (March).
He moved to Essex. (Mary Ann Rowland's family were basically an Essex family of Tailors from Gt Baddow in Essex except for her Army father William Rowland who, after be left the army became a Prison Warder in Alverstoke, Hants -George's family were supposed to be from Cheshire but I suspect they were an Essex farming family. I did find William Foster, a farmer in his 60's in a Hamlet near Gt. Baddow, a widdower, who could just have been George's G father and I found a William Foster in Clerkenwell who could just have conceivably have been George's father - b1816 in Weston, Staffs - George, if it was him, is on the census born in Clerkenwell. To make things even more complicated, I know that my Grandfather, William Foster b 1880 in Forton Barracks, Alverstoke, Hants, was once a Fruiterer and I find yet another William Foster b 1816 in Covent Garden, Lambeth who is a Fruiterer.
I am admittedly now grabbing at straws here. I have recently found out that one of George Foster and Mary Ann Rowland's children who died was Arthur Osgood Foster. I found a death for George Foster in 1908 as "George Hosgood Foster". Is this too much to hope that George's mother was an Osgood/Hosgood.
I have just had the address of 14 Woodstock Road, Finsbury Park, Hornsey, Middlesex, confirmed as existing as two dwellings in 1911. I know the Fosters were living there on 7th October 1902 because Mary Ann's sister Emily died there - I have her death cert. I know also that the family stayed in the area although moved eventually i.e. my grandfather William Foster b 1880 lived at 42 Beatrice Road, Hornsey in 1910 when my mother was born but by 1914 had moved within the area by the time my aunt was born.
Boer War Military records on William Foster 1880 have confirmed I am after the correct George Foster 1840 as described above but he is proving elusive.
Either George lied about his age and place of birth to get into the Royal Marine Light Infantry early - I suspect he may have been born in 1844 or he is correct and I just can't find him.
Yes I am confused, very confused. Sorry to have bored you with all that!
Bewildered Sue
